South-South cooperation key to global stability amid U.S. policy shifts, says Cameroonian expert

Reinforced South-South cooperation is essential for tackling the pressing challenges of a rapidly changing world, a Cameroonian former professor has said.

YAOUNDE, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Reinforced South-South cooperation is essential for tackling the pressing challenges of a rapidly changing world, Nkolo Foe, a former professor at the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon, has said.

In recent years, the United States has adopted drastic measures aimed at imposing world order based on its own rules, he said.

"The measures taken by U.S. President Donald Trump directly impact the Global South, and these measures are likely to destabilize world order and disrupt peaceful coexistence," Foe, also former vice president of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, said in a recent interview with Xinhua in Yaounde, the Cameroonian capital.

Trump's policy revolves around reviving the Monroe Doctrine, with one of his key objectives being the dismantling of BRICS and the Global South, he said.

Faced with these challenges, he recalled the proposal of Samir Amin, a French-Egyptian political economist, who advocated organizing a "Bandung II" to consolidate the Afro-Asian partnership and strengthen cooperation among countries of the South.

"Indeed, the countries of the Global South, and particularly Africa, are waking up. The expulsion and closure of French military bases is an extremely important indicator, highlighting Africa's desire and will to complete its independence," he added.

In this dynamic, African countries continue to make substantial progress toward independence, unity, and integration. China's support has enabled Africa to play an active role on the world stage, Foe said.

Recalling the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the BRICS summits in 2024, Foe said China-Africa cooperation has yielded many positive outcomes, particularly in infrastructure, telecommunications, and green development. "All these sectors are among the projects and initiatives that benefit Africa," he said.

On the subject of green development, Foe said it is a civilizational issue. He praised China's efforts in this area, citing initiatives promoting renewable energy, the production of electric vehicles, and the installation of photovoltaic panels. "We must fully grasp the concept of ecological civilization as put forward by China," he said.

According to Foe, China has demonstrated a successful model of "Chinese modernization." He said Africans must be aware of the strategic choices to be made in order to fully benefit from modernization initiatives proposed by China, with a view to "an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, led by its own citizens, and representing a dynamic force on the world stage."

"This ideological aspect, in my opinion, must be considered, and above all, must be grasped and addressed appropriately, if modernization initiatives in favor of Africa are to be beneficial," he said. ■